31
January 31, 1996
M E D I T A T I O N
The first disciples of Jesus are known to be fishermen. In calling them Jesus did not ask them what school they had finished or what their family background was, but he simply asked them if they wanted to follow him. For him, therefore, their willingness was the important thing. He, thereby, recommends to us, his latter disciples, not to first see in people the gifts he has given them, but to see in them the good that they want to follow.
Jesus began his own teaching in Galilee. At that time it was an Israeli district inhabited not only by Jews but by other people too. For that reason, as an orthodox Jew, he considered it pagan and unclean and generally tried not to pass through it. But Jesus sees the good in people and invites them to recognize that good themselves.
We too are called today. That does not mean only that we should enter a monastery or consecrate ourselves in some other kind of way. We are also called to be good parents, educators, writers, doctors, factory workers. . .through the Church Jesus needs us with different orientations in life. Let us have the strength to answer.
fra Miljenko
N E W S
MISSIONARY TRAVEL OF FR. JOZO ZOVKO
At the invitation of Medjugorje pilgrims and friends of Medjugorje Fr. Jozo Zovko recently visited Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia and Canada. In this issue we will present the points of interest that Fr. Jozo himself reported upon his return from Canada.
"Some Canadian Indians were wanting to have a meeting with me and also requested their bishop to organize it. I met with them next to their little church on the reservation. The meeting was so touching that everyone, including me, began to cry. That encounter was truly unrepeatable and magnificent. First came the bishop's delegate, then the bishop and finally the chief. In his welcome speech the chief said that this was a historic moment for Canada and for the Indian people. Those people are 99% Catholic and since they truly want to be Our Lady's people, they want to accept her messages of peace directed to the world. Then the chief named me honorable high priest and chieftain of all the Indians, according to the decision of their Council. When I received my insignia the man who is keeper of the peace pipe came up. He said the Indians decided to light the peace pipe for my homeland Croatia. After they lit it, they handed it first to me, and after that it went from hand to hand accompanied by the continuous exclamation "For Croatia!" After that ceremony followed prayers for me and for the entire Croatian people. The chief came up to me with a rosary in his hand and pronounced me a messenger of peace and a recognized friend they have awaited for years to meet. He pronounced Croatia and Medjugorje a blessed land whence the messages of the Queen of Peace come to them and whom they have dreamed about and yearned for. At the end he blessed Medjugorje and the Croatian people and made a prayer for peace - that war forever cease.
F R U I T S - TESTIMONY OF AN AMERICAN PILOT
Scott O'Grady, the fighter pilot of the NATO forces whose plane was shot down in Bosnia in June 1995, was rescued after a successful operation in which more than forty planes and helicopters took part, a hundred soldiers and some of the best military strategists of NATO. After his return to the United States he also wrote a book about the events and the horrors he lived through after the Bosnian Serbs shot down his F-16. Describing the sufferings, hunger, thirst, cold and fear that he lived through in the course of the several days of hiding and waiting for help in the forests of Bosnia in his book Honored Return, he also brings out an interesting particular which has the most significance in the entire rescue operation.
"On the third day of my hiding out, thinking about how survival is first of all a spiritual test, I experienced something amazing and unrepeatable. All of a sudden, in the stillness of my hiding place, I remembered the accounts of my mother's friend who, before the war broke out in Bosnia, had visited Medjugorje, a little place south in the country, where there is testimony about Our Lady's apparition. That afternoon I turned to Our Lady in prayer. Immediately I felt her presence. It became more and more clear and palpable right up to the moment that I saw her. It is hard to describe in words. The vision came through the strength of my feelings, and that feeling was indescribably warm, full of bliss and peace. Someone existed that prayed and kept watch over my return home. That vision was the most important thing that happened to me in Bosnia. It gave me the courage to hold out in the most difficult moments."
Through his book the American pilot made public his own declaration given immediately after the very rescue operation: "Our Lady of Medjugorje saved me!"
C E N T E R S O F P E A C E
MEDJUGORJE MAGNIFICAT, Chantal and Regis CLAUSE. Le grand champ, 01480 France; tel. 7460-7474; fax 7409-8157. This center was founded in 1991 with the basic aim of spreading the messages Our Lady is giving in Medjugorje. Besides that, the Center takes care of organizing pilgrimages, and encouraging the spiritual life and growth of its members and friends. One of the most meaningful activities of the Center is the collection of humanitarian aid (food and medicines) for the population of Croatia and Bosnia-Hercegovina.
A N N O U N C E M E N T S
We request all of you who are planning to participate in the Prayer-Information Seminar in Tucepi from March 17 - 21, 1996 to complete your reservations through the fax number + 387-88-642-339 designated for the MIR Information Center. The exact number of participants is necessary for the organizers to arrange lodging and the seminar itself which depends largely on the number of reserved participants. For that reason we ask you once more to keep in mind the difficulties that can happen to us because of tardy notifications and send in your reservation as soon as possible, but no later than February 20.
Published by: INFORMATIVNI CENTAR MIR - Svetiste Kraljice Mira (Information Center MIR - Shrine of the Queen of Peace), 88266 Medjugorje.
Director: fra Miljenko Stojic.
Information Office: 00387-36-651-988
Parish Office: 00387-36-650-206; 650-310; 651-333
Fax: 00387-36-651-444
Radio: 00387-36-651-100; fax 651-300
E-mail: medjugorje-mir@medjugorje.hr; Internet: http://www.medjugorje.hr
Automatic Message: 060-325-325. By calling this number you can hear the latest message of Our Lady in Croatia, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Slovenia, Austria, Switzerland and Germany, as well as also the meditation and the news from Medjugorje which is updated every Wednesday.
Last Modified 11/25/2002